Of Cause to Effect
by MegElemental
Summary: The Darkling woods hold many secrets. Merlin's power is growing, but when Arthur draws the attention of two powerful sorceresses, can he fight against them both? Arthur and Merlin FRIENDSHIP. Guest appearance from our time.
1. Chapter 1

_The book had been at the back of the shelf in the library. She wouldn't have even seen it if her bracelet hadn't slipped of her thin wrist when she put her books back. Typical, she had thought. I never wear jewellery and this happens the few times I do? Scrabbling at the back in search of the bracelet her fingers had hit a velvet cover and she had pulled it out to see what it was. _

_It turned out to be a book. It was bound strangely, with thick yellow paper inside with elegant, curving script. The red velvet cover was fastened by a gold braid. She had been entranced. Forgetting about her bracelet, she had opened the book and began to read. It was an old Arthurian legend, although she had never read one quite like it before. Instead of the usual sword-in-the-stone theory, it was all about a young man called Merlin living in Camelot. Uther was still alive, and Arthur was a bit of a prat._

_Taking it to the desk, she had noticed a small sticky label on the back: 50p. The library had been selling off excess books and she had bought many before, so she dug out two twenties and a ten p coin from her purse and then she bought it, took it home and read it furiously. But strangely, near the middle, just after Merlin had been hit by a curse and was dying, and Arthur was about to be killed by the evil sorcerer, the pages went blank. Startled, she went back to the library as soon as she could, and found the same librarian that had sold her the book. After explaining and showing the old lady the blank pages, the old lady had told her to turn to the back page, next please. So she walked over to a comfy chair in a corner that few people ventured near, and opened the book at the back._

_There was a recipe. A recipe for a drink, that, when drunk, would 'answer all her questions.' She went back to the librarian, but before she had even opened her mouth the old lady asked her if she had read the back page. She said she had. The old lady asked her why she hadn't done what it had said, and she went home. There wasn't really anything you could say to that, apart from tell her she was mad, and she had the feeling the old lady knew a lot more than she was letting on._

_The girl sat staring at the book a long time until she sprung into action. Her parents were out with her two little sisters, and she had the house to herself. She quickly gathered all the ingredients; a metal goblet (she had to make do with her father's collectable lord of the rings goblet- Gimli's head), crushed mint, powdered sugar and orange zest. After crushing and powdering all the ingredients, dropping the orange peel in and stirring, she sieved the mixture and poured it into the goblet._

_She wrinkled her nose; it didn't look appetising, and she'd never liked drinking out of metal cups, as she found the taste of iron and rust disgusting. She carried the goblet back to her room, and added the final part – her blood. This made her feel slightly faint, but she gently pricked her finger with a needle and squeezed out a drop of the ruby liquid. As soon as it hit the surface of the misty concoction, the whole thing turned red, and started to bubble and steam. This puzzled her, as she couldn't see anything that might be causing it to heat up. When the cup was almost burning her fingers and she had put it down, the liquid stilled and, from an experimental touch, had once again gone cold. _

_She looked at it, debating whether or not to drink. What if it killed her? Then she stopped herself being silly. None of the ingredients had been life-threatening, though certainly disgusting. After ten minutes of staring at the goblet indecisively, she finally made up her mind. Holding her nose and picking it up, she drank it as quick as she could without tasting it. When the last drops had run down her throat, she looked at the now empty goblet confusedly. She felt no different; in fact, she felt even more normal than usual._

_Then she started shaking violently. She found it harder and harder to breath, and then, she lost consciousness, falling to the floor. The goblet slipped from her still fingers and hit the floor, bouncing once, twice, and then rolling back towards her prone body, finally stopping against her side. A small drop of red liquid escaped onto the carpet, seeping in and dying it red._

o0o

Merlin was picking mushrooms for Gaius in the forest just outside Camelot's walls, keeping a wary ear out for large Gryphon-like creatures. He had a spell ready this time, and no longer needed a knight like Lancelot to come and save his sorry hide. He should have been better prepared before, he chided himself, and then he came across a particularly large patch of big, healthy mushrooms and the only thought that passed through his head was to pick them all up.

Though the forest was quiet, save for the rustling leaves and branches of the trees swaying in the light breeze from the direction of the coast. Merlin hurried up. He felt uneasy and was sure he could sense magic in the air. As he picked up speed, his ungainly feet hit something in the grass, and he went down with a bang. He lay there for a while, groaning at his own stupidity and complete inability to stay upright, before he dragged himself up and began to pick up all the mushrooms that had scattered from his basket as he fell. Only then did he see what he'd tripped over.

Picking it up and turning it over in his hands, he stared at the strange metal goblet with a man's face and helmet carved into the metal. Cautiously sniffing the inside, he smelt sugar and blood, and maybe a hint of mint. A potion. He scouted around to see if the person who'd dropped it was nearby, putting the goblet carefully into his basket, nestled among the mushrooms. He discovered a bag, containing three plain women's dresses, a nightdress and a silk dress not unlike the one worn by the Lady Helen, when she performed in front of the court and attempted to kill Arthur, before turning out to be a witch.

He wondered why a bag with clothes worth quite a lot of money in would just be abandoned, and then he turned the corner round a huge old oak tree and he realized that it hadn't been left. The owner was lying in front of him.

After a few seconds of standing stock still, staring open-mouthed, his physician side kicked in and he rushed over to the girl lying on the forest floor. She was breathing shallowly and was burning up with fever. Merlin hovered hesitantly, wondering what Gaius would say when he turned up with yet another stray. After deciding he wouldn't be able to leave the girl here without feeling guilty, he picked her up awkwardly, and then he realized he'd have to leave her bag and his mushrooms behind. He sighed, and put her down again.

A few magic words and both objects fitted easily into his pockets. He hoisted the girl up again and headed back to the city, stumbling slightly. The girl wasn't large, but she looked rather muscly and felt rather sturdy. A whispered spell sorted that out, and Merlin hurried back to Gaius, aware of her ever-increasing temperature. He got a few strange looks from people in the streets, but after being pelted by rotten fruit he found himself quite immune to public humiliation.

He passed Gwen's house, which was empty as she was up at the castle with Morgana. So should he, in theory, but Arthur had decided that Merlin deserved a day off. He had taken advantage of the strangely lenient mood of his master only to be ordered out by Gaius. Well, it was bad for him, but a stroke of luck for this girl that he was treated like a servant by everyone. If only they knew…

But if they did he would be executed. And nobody wanted that, especially not him. He liked his head the way it was, thanks.

The girl muttered deliriously as he backed into Gaius's rooms. The old man in question was bending over some bubbling poultice.

'Ahh, Merlin, are you finally back with those mushrooms?' He turned round, and saw what Merlin was carrying. 'Where are my mushrooms?' he asked indignantly, as Merlin hurried in and placed the girl on the bed reserved for patients and, occasionally, a very tired Gaius.

'Here,' he said, slightly out of breath, as he drew out the objects from his pocket and restored them to their proper size. Gaius opened his mouth disapprovingly and was about to reprimand Merlin for using his magic when he caught sight of the goblet in the basket. Merlin used the seconds the old physician was occupied with lifting it gently away from the mushrooms to take off the spell from the girl, returning her to her normal weight.

'What have you brought back this time?' Gaius sighed and examined the goblet, the mushrooms left forgotten in their basket on the floor.

'I found that,' Merlin said, pointing to the metal cup in Gaius's hands, 'well, I say found, I mean tripped over…' Gaius snorted, which Merlin found quite rude.

'Only you, Merlin,' chortled Gaius, placing the goblet on a bench next to the bed and finding a flannel to place on the girl's forehead.

'And this bag in the forest, and then I came across her,' Merlin finished, drawing up a chair and sitting by the bed. 'Is she ok? What do you think happened?'

'Poison,' Gaius said shortly, 'but it's not serious. I don't know why she would be in the forest, though.'

'Maybe she was coming to Camelot,' Merlin thought out loud, taking the flannel from Gaius as he bustled around making an antidote.

'Maybe. Whoever gave her the drink used her own blood. Look,' Gaius held up her finger, which had a tiny pinprick and a small bubble of dried blood on the tip.

'Can you cure her?' Merlin asked, watching his guardian hurry around, adding various things to various other things. Medicine wasn't really Merlin's strong point.

'I know what the poison was; it's a well known sleep draught but with the added effect of the drinker's blood and a slight hint of magic.'

'Magic?' Merlin asked, worried. 'Who would use magic round here?' Gaius mixed a violently yellow mixture with a dark red liquid, and the action was accompanied by a small puff of smoke.

'That's what I'm worried about. It was most probably someone who's _not_ from round here. Although why this particular poison I have no idea. It doesn't kill, just gives the drinker fever and slight amnesia.'

'Does it need magic to be cured?' Merlin asked. Gaius shook his head, and mixed the red antidote, before pouring it into the goblet Merlin had found by the girl in the forest.

'Hand,' he ordered. Merlin, perplexed, held up his hand. He immediately wished he hadn't when Gaius stabbed his index finger with the end of a small knife and squeezed the wound over the goblet, causing the mixture to steam and bubble.

'Ow!' Merlin complained, sucking his finger.

'Better your blood than mine. You're young and healthy.'

'Sticking a pin in your finger will hurt you as much as me,' Merlin muttered.

'I mean for _her. _The antidote will work quicker.'

'She's going to drink my blood?' Merlin squeaked, but Gaius ignored him and thrust the goblet into his hand, before tilting the girl's head back and holding her nose.

'Pour it into her mouth,' Gaius said. Merlin did as he was asked, and when the goblet was empty he wiped a stray droplet that had escaped and rolled down the girl's neck.

'Now what?' he asked.

'Now you wait for her to wake up,' Gaius told him. 'I'm going out, so remember what I'm going to tell you. She'll wake up in an hour or so, when her fever's died. The first time she'll be slightly dazed and may not act like herself. Try and keep her in this room, and make sure she falls asleep again. Then she'll wake up after a few minutes, and she'll be cured. Got that?' Gaius pointed a threatening finger at Merlin, who rolled his eyes.

'I'm not completely incapable, you know,' he protested. Gaius left, and Merlin huffed and crossed his arms. He had an hour to kill, so he stared at the girl lying on the bed in front of him.

She was about the same height, maybe a bit taller, than Gwen, but he couldn't really tell as she was lying down. She had dark brown hair, also like Gwen, but shorter and rather wavy and unruly. Her complexion was lighter than Gwen's but not as pale as Lady Morgana's, and, although not pretty, her face was striking. Her arms were long and, Merlin counted, the right one had five moles. The plain red dress she wore had collected a few leaves, so he brushed them off. He also picked some forest debris out of her hair. He slept for a while, waking with a jerk when a plate that had been dangerously close to the edge finally fell off with a smash. Annoyed at the sudden stop to his rather peaceful dreams, in which everyone accepted his gift and worshipped him, he angrily fixed the plate with magic and put it back on the side.

A small gasp from behind him told him the girl had woken up. He went over and sat back down on his chair. The girl stared at him with wide brown eyes, an astonished look on her face.

'You…' she muttered, still gazing at him in shock.

'I'm Merlin,' he said quickly, holding out his hand. She took it and, to his surprise, examined it, turning it over in her own.

'It feels so real,' she murmured, reaching out to touch his face. He was slightly shocked, and rightly so, but nothing prepared him for what happened next. She cupped his face in both her hands, seemingly unable to believe that he was real. Merlin thought this strange behaviour, and then he felt her lips on his.

It didn't last long, but before he had time to recover she had got up and wandered out, picking up things as she went and muttering to herself, 'this can't be real.' He quickly got up and ran after her. As he followed her down the castle corridors, he tried not to draw too much attention to them, but she was attracting a few odd stares as she ran her hands over the stone walls and muttered. For a person with a fever, she moved pretty fast. He caught up with her outside on the training grounds, where Arthur was practicing with his sword and some poor unfortunate soul that was taking Merlin's place. She pottered over to him, tripping as she went. Merlin stifled a groan as he saw Arthur catch her in his arms. What was he supposed to do now?

'Hello,' said Arthur, smiling down at her. He lifted her back up and she ran a hand over his armour before setting off again. Arthur looked confused.

'Stop her!' Merlin cried, sprinting across the field and catching up with the girl. She whirled around and looked at him.

'Merlin,' she said, before he waved his hand over her face quickly and muttered some magic words. She fell, unconscious, into his arms.

'Merlin?' Arthur called, clanking over. 'Who's she? What's happened to her?'

'Errr… she was ill. She had a fever. She's delirious, and she wandered away when I wasn't looking,' he said, which was not entirely a lie.

'Gaius' patient?' Arthur asked. Merlin nodded, and hoisted her back into his arms before setting back off towards Gaius' rooms. To his intense relief, Arthur didn't follow, and just gave him a pitying look before setting about pretending to kill people once more. Merlin made it back without incident, and laid the girl back on the bed with a sigh of relief. That was stressful. He dozed for maybe ten or fifteen minutes more before the girl woke up again, as Gaius had said. She sat up, wearing a look of dawning comprehension and mortification as she remembered what had happened earlier.

'Oh my God, I'm so sorry,' she gasped, putting her hands over her mouth and going slightly pink. Merlin brought her over a cup of water.

'Don't worry about it; it was the fever,' he told her, watching her knock back the water.

'You put me to sleep using magic,' she said. It wasn't a question.

'No, no I didn't,' he said hastily, taking the now empty cup back and turning away. 'That was just the fever.'

'You can do magic,' she said again, and then she stood up, swaying slightly. Merlin rushed over and supported her.

'Careful; you've only just recovered from being poisoned,' he told her forcing her to sit back down.

'Head rush,' she said, and then, 'I won't tell. I promise.' Merlin didn't say anything, and handed her the bag he had found.

'Is this yours?' he asked her, and she took it.

'Errr… yes,' she said, sorting through. She drew out a small silver brush Merlin had missed before, and a beautiful glass vial. She opened it, and a perfume scented the air. Then she pulled out a velvet-bound book, and let out an audible gasp. 'This is mine.'

'I'm Merlin,' he said again, holding out his hand as he had done before. She smiled and took it properly this time.

'Regan,' she said.

'Can you remember anything? Gaius- that's the physician who lives here, he's my guardian- said you might have slight amnesia.' A strange look crossed her face, and then she shook her head.

'No. I can't remember anything.' She looked upset, and Merlin rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

'Gaius is the best Physician in the Kingdom. He'll be able to get your memory back,' he said. She smiled wanly.

'Great,' she said, but she didn't sound happy to Merlin. He was about to say something when Gaius burst into the room.

'Aaah. The mysterious girl from the forest is awake, then? How are you feeling?'

'I feel… fine,' she said, as though surprised. 'Thank you,' she said, as Gaius fussed around her, checking her temperature and giving her another drink.

'Don't thank me; thank Merlin. He's the one who found you and brought you back,' Gaius said, looking over at him. Merlin felt the tips of his ears burn.

'It was nothing,' he said hurriedly, before getting up to root in the cupboards for food. The door was flung open again, but this time a much younger man strode in.

'Merlin, have you seen my…' Arthur stopped when he saw Regan sitting up on the bed. 'She's better, then?'

'Why don't you ask her,' Merlin said as he rolled his eyes. 'She can understand you.'

'Yes, thanks,' she said.

'Gaius is the best physician in the Kingdom; you were in safe hands. Merlin, I've lost my…'

'Your brown jacket is clean and hanging in your wardrobe, and your red tunic with the pattern on the front is being mended from where you tore it the other day on the mace,' Merlin said, quickly.

'Oh… right. Thanks.' Arthur beat a hasty retreat from the room and the door swung shut behind him. Regan got up and started to walk around, examining all of Gaius' various jars, herbs and bubbling medicines. Merlin could see the wonder in her wide eyes.

'I can't believe it. Everything is so real,' she said, waving her hand over a flame. 'Ouch.' Merlin rushed over to find her inspecting her hand.

'Did you burn…' he began, but she shook her head.

'It was…hot,' she said. 'I didn't expect it to be hot.'

'It's a flame. I think they're supposed to be hot,' Merlin said, confused at her behaviour. She held out her hand.

'Pinch me. So I know it's not a dream.'

'Why would it be a dream?' Merlin asked, absolutely lost by now.

'It just… please?' she asked, looking at him pleadingly. Merlin, being Merlin, did as he was asked.

'Ow!'

'Sorry, I…'

'No, thanks. Thank you,' she said, staring at her hand in amazement. 'So this is actually real.' Merlin was beginning to worry when he remembered that she had amnesia. He supposed everything might seem a little unreal if you couldn't remember who you were. But then a thought struck him, How did she know her name? Gaius did say _slight _amnesia, but with the way she was acting… something wasn't right. Merlin decided he had to know, or it'd bug him for ages.

'I'm guessing you have nowhere to stay for the meantime,' Gaius said, looking up at Regan from the bottles he was labelling. She nodded. Gaius sighed.

'You can stay here until you get your memory back,' he told her, and she smiled in relief.

'Thank you!' she said, tackling the old man in a hug. Merlin grinned at Gaius' surprise.

'Since you are not complete without your memories, I cannot pronounce you cured,' he said, smiling at her.

'I'll repay you, I'll work for you,' she said, eagerly.

'That would be nice, since my _supposed_ helper is busy all the time with Prince Arthur,' Gaius said, shooting a look at Merlin. Merlin, however, was used to Gaius grumbling about losing a general dogsbody and turned instead to Regan.

'If you're staying here I might as well show you round,' he said. 'I've got a day off, after all.' Her face lit up.

'Would you? That would be great!' She ran towards him, but stumbled a little on the hem of her dress and practically threw herself at him. He caught her, and she got up, bright red and embarrassed.

'Sorry. I'm never usually this clumsy. I've never worn anything like this before,' she said, plucking at her skirt. Then her face froze as she realized what she'd just said. Merlin glanced towards Gaius, but he hadn't heard.

'You've never worn a _dress _before?' Merlin asked, unable to think what else a woman could wear.

'I've worn a _dress_ before,' she bit back defensively. 'I'm… not from round here,' she worried her bottom lip with her teeth.

'Perhaps you can't remember wearing one?' he offered, and she seized that excuse.

'Yes, that's it.' She sighed, obviously relieved. Merlin was intrigued further, but said nothing more on the subject, and gallantly held out his arm. She took it, laughing, and he led her around the castle.

Merlin found her to be good company. Once she got over her initial shyness she reminded him a lot of Gwen, and when they bumped into her during a tour of the city, the two girls hit it off instantly. Merlin showed her the stocks, and she laughed at his stories of being unfairly punished in them.

She used very strange phrases; words Merlin had never heard before. All this added to the mystery. When they were back at Gaius' rooms Merlin discovered his room, already quite small, had been made even tinier by a curtain dividing it in two. The only good thing about this was that all his stuff had been tidied up. Behind the curtain they discovered a new bed and cupboard, with Regan's things spread around.

'I'm guessing you're staying here, then,' Merlin said, as she nosed around.

'Good guess,' said Gaius. 'Maybe this will encourage you to keep things tidy, Merlin.' Merlin grinned.

'I wouldn't bet on that.

**AN: This is my first venture into the fandom of Merlin, so please review and tell me how I did! Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The first night Regan spent in Camelot was cold and clear. Unable to sleep because of her excitement of where she was, her worry about getting back and her slight homesickness, she got up from her bed carefully and went through the curtain to Merlin's side of the room. There she opened the window and leant out, in awe of the city spread below her. She still couldn't quite believe where she was.

After a while the cold got to her, and she quietly closed the window. Merlin had kicked off his blankets and was shivering, so she picked it up and tucked him back in, feeling strangely mother-like as she did so. Caught up in the moment, she even brushed some of his hair back from his forehead before she realized what she was doing and hurried back to her bed. She, too, was cold; her thin nightdress she had found in the bag that contained clothes and other useful items was not keeping out the chill very well.

That bag was strange. Everything in it was her size, though she had never seen it in her life. And it had the book in it. The book from the library, which, when she looked inside, was completely blank, except for three words on the first page: _stop the curse. _She knew what that meant, but she also knew that the person casting it would not arrive for a while. She settled back into bed and waited for sleep to arrive.

On the other side of the room Merlin waited until he heard the sound of regular breathing before he sneaked into Regan's room. While he lay there, he pondered what had happened earlier that night. Much later he crept through the curtain and started to search through her bag. He found only what he had seen before, but he examined the book with interest. He opened it and read the three words on the front page, frowning in confusion.

_Stop the Curse._ Now what could that be about? Merlin found nothing else, and with one flash of his eyes, replaced everything as it was. Then he sneaked back to bed, his mind buzzing with even more questions than he had had before searching Regan's bag.

o0o ---

'Take this to Lady Morgana, and this to Kieran, who has a slight fever, and this…' Merlin let Gaius' instructions roll off him as he ate his breakfast. For once, they weren't directed at him, but at Regan. She looked like she was struggling, as she tried to take in what Gaius was rattling off while juggling about ten different jars in her arms. Merlin was torn, but finally his sense of chivalry overtook his laziness, and he hauled himself up from his chair and walked over to the bemused girl.

'I'll come with you today,' he said, taking a few of the jars. 'Just so you know what you're doing.' She smiled at him in relief.

'Thanks.'

'Hurry up then!' Gaius said, shoving them out of the door. 'I need you back soon so you can help me make some tinctures.'

'Right,' Merlin said, peering at the first label. 'This way.' He decided his need to be with Regan was simply so he could figure her out, but something in his mind knew this to be only half-true. She trotted after him, frowning. He gave her a strange look.

'I'm trying to remember the way,' she said. He nodded.

'Soooooo… can you remember anything before waking up?' he asked her as they turned a corner and started down some steps. She bit her lip.

'Well…' She gave him a penetrating look, as though she was working out whether she could trust him or not. She had just opened her mouth to speak when an annoyed voice rang out behind them.

'Merlin? There you are, I've been looking for you.' Arthur strode up, and, ignoring Regan, started on Merlin. 'Yesterday was your day off! I've been waiting for you for ages!'

'Sorry sire, I forgot,' Merlin said hurriedly. 'I was just helping Regan do her rounds for Gaius. She's not been here long and she doesn't know her way around…' Merlin trailed off when he realized Arthur was no longer listening to him, but had turned to Regan.

'You're Gaius' patient,' he said. She nodded, looking awed and slightly nervous. 'I thought you were ill.'

'I…' she began, but Merlin chipped in.

'She recovered from her fever but the poison that caused it gave her amnesia,' he told Arthur. 'She's staying with us until she gets her memory back. She's doing my old job, since I can't do it when I'm washing your clothes and polishing your armour.' He said the last bit pointedly, but it slid off Arthur like water off a duck's back.

'You can show her round today, but I want to see you on the training field ready to practice after lunch. You're lucky I have to do patrols with father this morning.' With that, Arthur strode off the way he had come. Regan looked slightly miffed.

'I can speak for myself, you know,' she told Merlin.

'I know,' he said, good-naturedly. 'I just thought that meeting new people can be nerve-racking sometimes, and you might want some help.' He carried on along the corridor, followed by an apologetic Regan.

'Sorry,' she said. 'I didn't mean for you to give up your other work to help me, when Arthur seems to be very demanding.'

'He's alright once you get to know him,' Merlin said. 'We're more friends than master and servant, really. He just hides it well in public. And I've got the morning off, which gives me a chance to do nothing for once.' They reached another stop, and Regan knocked and handed over a tonic. After much tramping all around the castle and city, they returned to Gaius' chambers and sat down, Regan massaging her feet.

'These shoes have no sole,' she complained. 'I might as well have worn bare feet!'

'I wouldn't if I were you,' Merlin said, lying back on his bed with his arms under his head. 'You don't know what's on the floor.' He watched absentmindedly as Regan searched through the bag he had found near her in the Darkling forest, pulling out a knife with an intricately carved metal handle, and a plain wooden box.

She opened it to find several long thick strips of cloth. Realizing what they were for, she shut it quickly, blushing. Merlin had no idea what it was, but felt that he shouldn't ask. Regan put everything back and then lay belly-down on her bed, head on her hands, staring at him.

'What?'

'Could you show me… err, you know.' She waved a hand vaguely, looking embarrassed.

'Do you want to see some magic?' Merlin asked, excited. It would be nice to be admired for a change. She nodded, and Merlin checked for any people who might see or overhear. Gaius seemed to have forgotten about the tinctures and had left to collect something or other, and his chambers were still. Merlin shut his bedroom door after a few furtive looks around, and then came back in and sat on his bed, facing Regan.

He reached forward, whispered a few chosen words and gently pressed his index finger to Regan's cheek. She gasped as a tear welled in her eye and slid down her cheek. Another whispered word, and Merlin's eye's flashed gold. Regan almost missed seeing the teardrop detach itself from her cheek, hover into the air and form into a perfect pearl, so entranced was she by his golden eyes.

'Wow,' she breathed, as Merlin reached out and caught the tiny jewel in his palm. He handed it to her. 'That is amazing.' Merlin grinned and fidgeted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to being complemented, especially when he was called an idiot more than twice a day by a certain prince, and sometimes even Gaius.

'What were you going to say earlier?' He asked, remembering his question from when they were distributing the medicines.

'Hmm?' Regan asked, distracted, as she examined the pearl.

'Can you remember anything?' He asked, and then he lay back on his bed and waited for an answer. He glanced over and saw her looking nervous.

'Promise you won't tell anyone?'

'If I do, then you can tell the King about my magic,' Merlin said, firmly. She bit her lip.

'Ok… Icomefromthefuture,' she said, all in a rush.

'Pardon?' said Merlin, sitting up quickly. She sighed heavily.

'I… I come from the future,' she said reluctantly. Merlin opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand. 'Let me explain. I found a book in my library, about… you, and Arthur. It wasn't finished, but there was a recipe for a drink that would answer all my questions. So… I made and drank it. And woke up here,' she said, looking around. She looked at him sheepishly. 'I was kind of lying about the amnesia thing, although I can't remember the story very well.'

'So you can't remember what'll happen?' asked Merlin eagerly. She shook her head sorrowfully.

'I know something bad is going to happen, but I can't remember what,' she frowned at the floor. 'All I know is I've got to stop a curse. But I don't know more than that. I suppose everything changed when I came.' Merlin absorbed all this information.

'This means Arthur could be in danger soon,' he thought out loud.

'Yes, from a very powerful sorcerer,' Regan said, and then she looked surprised. 'I don't know why I said that.'

'Perhaps your memory is coming back!' Merlin said excitedly.

'No… It just came to me.' His face fell slightly.

'Well, we'll need to keep on our guard,' he said, getting up, opening up the loose floorboard by his bed and getting out his book. 'Maybe we can work it out using a spell of some sort.' She joined him on his bed as he feverishly flicked through it, muttering to himself occasionally and running his hands through his hair, making it stand on end.

Suddenly the door to his bedroom banged open, and they both jumped guiltily. Merlin shoved the book down out of sight, but there was no need; it was only Gaius.

'What are you doing?' He asked sternly. Merlin gulped.

'She knows, Gaius. About my… gift.' Gaius nodded grimly. 'She won't tell anyone!' Merlin said quickly, and Regan nodded emphatically.

'Weren't you supposed to be with Arthur on the training field at noon?' Gaius asked, staring at Merlin.

'I forgot!' he yelped, jumping up. He dashed away, stopping only to hide the book back under the floorboard and grab a hunk of bread before he sprinted out the door, which banged shut behind him.

'Now, I need help with these tinctures,' Gaius looked at Regan, raising an eyebrow. She got up and followed the old man into the main room, where he handed her a pestle and mortar and told her to grind some herbs. As he took her through the process of making a cure for a hacking cough, she found that she enjoyed the activity and was eager to learn more. Gaius was pleased at her interest and gave her few books to read.

------------------------------------

A little while later, when Gaius boiled something over a flame and she was reading the ingredients to ease a sore throat, Gaius broke the silence.

'You can remember what happened before you were poisoned,' he said, without taking his eyes of the bubbling liquid in front of him. It wasn't a question. She nodded.

'Everything except the important stuff,' she sighed.

'And you aren't from here, are you?'

'No.'

'I won't say anything. There must be a reason to your coming and I'm glad to have an apprentice. As much as I love Merlin he really has no interest in what can be done with herbs and tinctures when his head is full of magic.' Regan looked up from her book, surprised.

'Thank you, Gaius,' she said, trying to put all her gratitude into that three word sentence. He seemed to understand.

'When you've finished that page you can come and shred this sarsaparilla. Little Mary's eczema got worse over the past week.' She nodded and grinned, putting the book down and going over to the work bench.

Much later a very tired Merlin staggered in, remnants of armour hanging off him where he'd forgotten to take it off.

'Back so soon?' Gaius said, surprised. Regan was confused. It was almost sunset.

'Soon?' She was ignored as Merlin slumped in a chair.

'I slipped and Arthur got me in the leg,' he said, hissing slightly from the pain.

'Not again, Merlin,' Gaius groaned, before starting to collect the necessary items together to create a poultice for Merlin's leg. 'Although I must thank you; this will be good practise for Regan.' Gaius handed her various ingredients and Regan set to work, trying to remember the instructions she'd read not half an hour ago.

'What?' Merlin asked, slightly dazed with pain.

'Regan is my new apprentice,' said Gaius, and Regan was sure she could hear a hint of pride in his voice. The poultice done, she went over to Merlin and, finding the tear in his trousers, ripped it open more so she had a clear view of the cut. Merlin gasped with pain as the material fibres parted from his leg, where they had fused slightly with the dried blood.

'Ouch,' Regan said, on seeing the large cut. 'Can you not dodge his sword or something?'

'It's harder than it looks,' Merlin said, his knuckles white where he clutched the arms of the chair.

'If you kick me I'll kick you back,' Regan warned as she began to smooth the paste onto the cut. Merlin gritted his teeth through the whole thing, but didn't move a muscle in his leg. Gaius watched as Regan carefully bound his leg with a clean cloth and stepped back, wiping her hands.

'Very well done,' he said, inspecting it. Merlin groaned when he put weight on it.

'Can I use magic to heal it? Please?' he begged Gaius.

'Do you not think Arthur would be suspicious if your leg miraculously healed?' Gaius said, ever the voice of reason. 'You should be thanking Regan.'

'Sorry Regan. Thanks,' he said, looking at her apologetically. She busied herself with cleaning up the bowl she'd used.

'Thanks for giving me practise,' she said, shy all of a sudden. He grinned.

'You'll be getting plenty of that from me. I can be such an idiot sometimes.'

'Sounds like Arthur's a bit sword-happy,' she grinned.

'Tell me about it,' Merlin groaned. 'Still,' he said, brightening, 'I might be able to get some more time off because of this,' he motioned towards his bandaged leg. Gaius snorted.

'I doubt it. You've had one and a half day's off already, and you had to work almost straight away after recovering from that poison.'

'What's that?' Regan asked. Merlin launched into the tale of the time he'd been poisoned by Nimueh, and Arthur had ridden out to get the plant. He ended up telling her a lot of the adventures he'd had since coming to Camelot, as they ate the food Gaius gave them.

'You're a hero Merlin,' Regan said. Merlin blushed.

'Not really. Nobody knows.'

'It doesn't mean you aren't just because it's a secret,' Regan said earnestly. 'You're a hero, disguised as an idiot.'

'I'll take that as a compliment,' Merlin laughed.

o0o

AN: Chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it, and even if you didn't, please tell me. Btw, how amazing is the second series?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After a few weeks Regan became a part of the castle for Merlin. She continued to apprentice with Gaius, and was looking to be a promising physician. When he'd presented her to the king Merlin had felt a little nervous, but Uther was pleased that Gaius was passing along his knowledge, and accepted Regan into the Castle with barely a second thought. Gwen and Regan were firm friends, and though she was slightly wary of Morgana, they too became friends. Even Arthur could now remember her name… sometimes.

Each night Regan would tell him a little about the future before they slept. In return he would practise magic while she watched; gasping with amazement at the spells he had learnt from the book Gaius had given him. They were both on constant watch for the sorcerer, but the weeks past and nothing happened. In fact, it was so quiet and normal in Camelot that Merlin felt uneasy.

'It's like the calm before the storm,' Regan said one night, glancing anxiously out the window. 'I almost want the sorcerer to hurry up just so we don't have to wait any longer.'

In truth, Merlin was worried about Regan. He was nervous that when the sorcerer did come she would be defenceless, and as she had already promised to help him find them she would be in the thick of things. So, that night, he had taken the pearl he had given her right when they first met and placed protective spells on it before adding a small silver chain and leaving it on her bedside table. It meant she would be protected when she poked her nose into the sorcerer's business.

She was delighted when she woke up. Merlin was pleased at her happiness but neglected to tell her about the protective charms. He got a hug for his trouble.

'Thanks,' she said, squeezing him tightly before putting it on. 'It's lovely.' He'd had a happy grin on his face all day, much to Arthur's annoyance.

'Why are you so happy?' he asked, swinging his sword at Merlin's chest. Merlin struggled to bring up his own and blocked it just in time.

'Nothing,' he said, bringing the sword up again and blocking another attack. 'I'm just… happy.' Arthur grunted and swung again. This time Merlin didn't bother with blocking and ducked. Unfortunately as he bent down he lost his balance because of the heavy sword and he fell flat on his back. Arthur's grinning face hovered over him.

'I know! It's because of that girl, isn't it? The one Gaius cured. His apprentice…. What's her name again?'

'Regan,' Merlin said as he struggled to get up.

'You like her, don't you Merlin,' smirked Arthur.

'No, no I don't,' Merlin said, finally getting back on his feet and putting his helmet back on. Within seconds he was back on the floor again, his helmet rolling away across the grass.

'Yes, you do.' Arthur picked up his helmet and threw it at him. 'You can't lie, Merlin. You're hopeless at keeping secrets.' Merlin smiled.

'I'm better than you give me credit for.'

'You mean you've liked her for a while?'

'NO! No, I didn't…'

'Listen, Merlin, you can't hide it from me.' Arthur grinned cockily at him. 'I can see right through you.' Merlin was about to retort when a wind ruffled his hair. There was something in the wind that was dark, and foreboding. The gust blew harder, and Arthur's cloak streamed out behind him.

'The wind's picking up,' he yelled. Merlin rolled his eyes, but he felt that this wind was not a natural phenomenon. He turned and looked where the wind was coming from. Dark clouds were approaching Camelot; the thin white wisps at the edge of the wall of cloud were already over the city. Suddenly, everything went darker; the sun was covered. A shiver ran down Merlin's spine. Not far away, in the Court physician's chambers, rather loud, not very tuneful singing petered out as the girl sensed the change in the air. Something was coming.

Something bad.

Merlin had never got out of his armour faster.

'Merlin? Where are you going in such a hurry?' Arthur called as he hobbled his way down the corridor, trying to pull off his wrist guards while watching where he was going at the same time, which was harder than it sounded.

'Nowhere!' he called, frantically tearing off his chainmail.

'Oh. Just remember- you need to be at the banquet tonight!" Arthur yelled. 'I'm sitting next to Morgana, so I'll need you to fill my wine goblet as soon as it is drained!'

Merlin stopped, face covered by chainmail.

'Banquet?' he said, voice slightly muffled. 'There's a banquet?'

'To celebrate the arrival of my father's cousin, Lady Emily, her new husband, Lord Chaucer, and her daughter, Rosa.'

'Why didn't you tell me?' Merlin yelled, having finally succeeded in pulling off the suffocating chainmail and he looked around wildly. But Arthur had disappeared off.

'To get ready for the banquet,' Merlin muttered to himself as he stomped down the passage. 'He needs to look _smart _to impress his _guests_,' he said, unkindly. But no one was around to hear him. He flung open the door to Gaius's rooms in a huff, and was met by the sight of a scared-looking Regan, her eyes wide.

'Did you feel it?' she asked, running up to him and grabbing his arms. 'They're coming.'

'I felt it,' he said gravely. She exhaled loudly and sat down hard on a nearby chair.

'I'm so scared,' she said. Merlin nodded.

'So am I.' They stayed in silence for a while, as Merlin struggled to remove the last of his armour. Regan got up to help. 'Now I know why Arthur needs me to help him,' he joked, but Regan was still very pale. 'Did you know there's a Banquet tonight?' he asked, suddenly. She was startled at the abrupt change of subject.

'I did actually. Me and Gwen are going to be serving Morgana, and I'm going to her chambers later to get ready with them.' She grinned in anticipation of the girly night ahead. Merlin had a feeling of foreboding whenever he thought of the banquet.

'Just promise me you'll wear your pearl,' he said. She looked surprised.

'Why?'

'It'll look nice?' he said, hesitantly. It came out as a question. She still looked confused.

'I'll wear it,' she promised. 'But only if you tell me the real reason after the banquet.' Merlin got the shivers again.

'I promise,' he said. The wind blew a window open, and then shut, making them both jump. Gaius walked in.

'Aren't you getting Arthur ready for the Banquet, Merlin?" he asked, helping himself to some food. Merlin groaned.

'Why does everyone know about this except me?' he cried, running his hands through his hair. Regan laughed.

She dashed off soon after dinner, leaving Gaius and Merlin alone.

'Regan's a lovely girl, don't you think?" Gaius asked, giving him a piercing look.

'What are you trying to insinuate here, Gaius?' Merlin asked suspiciously.

'Nothing, Merlin. I am merely asking your opinion,' said Gaius, continuing to put away the dinner things.

'Why does everyone think I like her?' Merlin despaired at the ceiling.

'Maybe because you do and are too blind to see it,' Gaius said. Merlin put on his disbelieving face.

'Believe what you like Gaius,' he said, holding up his hands. 'I know what I feel, and I do not like her. Well, I like her, but not like that, if you know what I mean.'

'You care about her enough to give her a protective necklace,' Gaius pointed out.

'Only because I don't want her to die,' Merlin said, exasperatedly. 'She's friend. Hang on a minute – how did you know about that?'

'Gwen's your friend and yet you haven't given her a necklace,' Gaius said, ignoring Merlin's question. Merlin sighed.

'Gwen isn't determined to be in the thick of things,' Merlin said. 'Honestly, she wants to be involved when she can't look after herself!'

'Involved in what?' asked Gaius shrewdly. When Merlin showed signs of guilt, he pressed harder. 'What are you hiding, young man?'

'I… We think this storm signifies the coming of a powerful sorcerer,' Merlin explained. 'She wants to help me get rid of him when he gets here, even though she won't be able to touch him without magic.'

'She has been practising the bow and arrow when you're out,' Gaius told him. 'She's improved vastly after a rather slow start. I believe Morgana is teaching her.' Merlin was startled.

'Really?'

'She wants to help you, Merlin. She doesn't want you to get hurt. She cares about you too,' Gaius said gently. Merlin ignored this last comment, and escaped from Gaius to Arthur's room, where he helped the prince get himself ready for the banquet.

o0o

'Announcing the Lady Emily, Lord Chaucer and Miss Rosa.'

Merlin stood next to Gwen and Regan as they watched the regal woman sweep into the hall, followed by a tall, dark-haired man and a young girl of about ten or eleven trailing in their wake.

'She looks so frightened,' Regan whispered to Merlin. He grinned.

'I find Uther scary and I'm twice her age!'

Uther commenced the feast and Merlin was occupied with Arthur's goblet for a while. Regan had somehow ended up serving Rosa and was on the opposite side of the hall to Merlin. She was in conversation with the young girl when Merlin glanced at her. She sensed his gaze on her, and looked up, meeting his eyes. She grinned, and he smiled back. Turning to fill the seemingly bottomless glass of the prince, he saw Arthur smirking at him.

'You don't like her?'

'I was _smiling _at her,' Merlin said, exasperatedly. Arthur looked sceptical.

'Sure,' he said. He turned to Morgana, who was sitting next to him. 'Morgana, is, or is Merlin not, smitten with Gaius' apprentice?' To Merlin's horror Morgana smiled.

'Of course he is,' she smiled. 'He'll work it out soon enough.' Merlin looked at her reproachfully. 'Sorry, but it's the truth.'

Merlin was still thinking of a snappy retort when he felt it.

'Excuse me sire,' he said, backing away from the table and heading towards a side window. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Regan suddenly stand up straight, like a deer sensing a predator. With an extremely ominous feeling, he swung the small window open.

There was something heading straight towards the huge glass window at the end of the hall. Something dark, and inexplicably magical. Merlin saw the path of its flight, and panicked. He sprinted back to Arthur's side.

'There's something heading for the window,' he gasped out. Arthur looked at him as though he were mad.

'What?'

'Tell everyone to get down now! They'll listen to you!' Arthur groaned.

'Fine, but if this is a false alarm it's on your head, Merlin.' Merlin sighed in relief as Arthur stood up.

'Everyone get down!' he bellowed. Morgana, who had overheard the conversation, joined in the chant with Arthur and Merlin. Most of the guests obeyed the Prince, terror and confusion on their faces.

'What is the meaning of this?' Uther hollered over the chaos and confusion, but at that precise moment the large stained glass window smashed. Screams echoed around the hall as shards of glass and chinks of lead rained down on the diners. Merlin threw himself on the floor, feeling the sharp pain whenever glass found skin, and hearing the lumps fall around his head. When the noise stopped, he looked up cautiously, seeing the others also raise their heads from the ground.

Morgana had a small cut on her head; Arthur had escaped from the glass but had a nice new bruise blossoming where a large chunk of lead had got him on the head, Gwen's nose was bleeding profusely and King Uther had a cut on his chin. In fact, the only people who Merlin could see unscathed were Regan and Rosa, both of whom were clutching each other, terrified.

There was quiet as everyone picked themselves up and examined their wounds. Merlin watched as Arthur got up onto the table, picking his way across the remainder of the food and debris until he came to the perfectly round stone that had smashed through the window and skidded down the long table, leaving a long scorch mark across the length of it. Merlin followed him, and saw Arthur pull a scroll out from a hole in the stone. He winced as his hand touched the rock.

'It's hot,' he said, staring at the stone in confusion. Uther strode over to the two of them and snatched the scroll from Arthur's hands. Arthur started to protest, but the look on Uther's face stopped him.

The King read the scroll, his eyes darting quickly from side to side, his face growing paler by the second. When he was done he threw it to one side, and stared around at the white-faced, wide-eyed guests.

'The Court Physician will be here shortly to tend to all your injuries,' he said, his voice showing no hint of the turmoil within. 'Please feel free to continue to eat while you wait.' Uther motioned to Arthur and strode off into an adjoining room. Merlin glanced at Gaius, who had just arrived, and Regan tending to the bleeding nobles who all looked rather shell-shocked, especially Lady Emily. He caught Regan's eye who grimaced at him before heading off towards a fresh crowd in need of treatment, with Rosa following her like an obedient puppy.

He quickly followed the two Pendragons and quietly shut the small wooden door behind him. Uther gave him a strange look, but Arthur beckoned him in.

'What did the letter _say, _father?' Arthur asked, annoyed at being kept in the dark for so long. Uther opened his mouth to speak but the door creaked open and Morgana joined the small group. Uther groaned.

'I didn't exactly want this to become _public _information,' he told Arthur sternly, staring pointedly at Merlin and Morgana.

'I'm sure I'll be able to cope,' Morgana said delicately in her accent. Merlin tried to look important, but had a feeling he was failing. To his amazement, however, the normally pig-headed king didn't put up a fight. The contents of the scroll must have really shocked him.

'This… letter,' he said, staring down at it as though it was dangerous, 'is a warning from two very powerful sorcerers.'

'What?' said Arthur, astounded.

'They've delivered an ultimatum,' Uther said, suddenly aging ten years. 'Either I provide them with what they want or they release havoc on Camelot.'

'What do they want?' Morgana asked. Uther was silent for a few seconds.

'Gold,' he said finally.

'Gold? Why do they want gold?' asked Arthur. Uther's face turned hard, each line setting like concrete.

'How am I supposed to know the inner workings of a sorcerer's mind?' he hissed. 'I do not know nor care what they want it for, all I need to know is that when they come to collect their… gold, they will be met by the knights of Camelot and a swift death by steel.' And with that, the King swept out of the small room.

'He's hiding something,' Morgana stated into the silence. 'And he's not going to tell us what it is.'

'These sorcerers will be no match for my knights,' Arthur said confidently, but Merlin knew otherwise, and a small lump of dread settled in his stomach, somewhere near his last meal.

When he left the room after Arthur and Morgana, both of whom went back to their rooms, Regan and Gaius were finished and packing up. Regan looked up and sighed, and began to unpack her small physician's bag.

'What're you…?' Merlin began to ask, but she cut him off.

'You've got a huge cut on your left cheek,' she said, getting out a paste. Merlin put a hand to his cheek, and was astonished to feel a cut. Gaius left, the doors creaking behind him, as Regan pushed him down into a chair and started applying the salve.

'I didn't realize,' he said, sitting still during her ministrations.

'So?' she asked as she dabbed gently with a mixture to stop infection.

'According to Uther, two sorcerers want gold or they'll wreak havoc on Camelot,' Merlin told her. 'But he's hiding something. What would two powerful sorcerers want with gold?' She began to wipe the dried blood off his cheek, her face inscrutable. Merlin squinted at her suspiciously.

'You know something, don't you?' She sighed as she began to pack away once more. Merlin stood up to help her.

'I… can remember this part of the story,' she told him. 'First of all, it is two sorceresses, called Lyneve and Velindre. And it's not gold they want. It's Arthur.' Merlin sighed, having had a sneaking suspicion it would have been about the oblivious prince.

'When are they coming?' he asked nervously. She shook her head.

'I can't remember,' she looked miserable. 'I wish I could help…' Then she turned to him, suspicion in her eyes. 'And don't think I haven't realized why Rosa and I were the only ones not hurt by the smashed window,' she told him, narrowing her eyes and lifting the pearl necklace up slightly, waving it in front of his face like a pendulum. Merlin gulped, but her face cracked into a smile.

'Thanks,' she said softly, and suddenly she was kissing him, like she had done when they had first met, except this time Merlin had half-expected, or even _wanted _it to happen and so he leant forward instead of drawing back, his arms slipping around her waist as hers reached up to behind his neck. Merlin didn't know how long it lasted, only that it stopped too soon, when the hall door creaked open and they jumped apart hastily. Merlin looked up and barely hid a groan. It had to be Arthur, hadn't it?

'Merlin, I…' He caught sight of Regan packing away her things, her head bent so her hair covered her furiously blushing face. The Prince smirked.

'What?' Merlin asked tiredly. Arthur shook his head.

'Nothing. I just remembered,' he said, his smile broadening. 'As you were,' he said pompously, before backing out and shutting the doors behind him. Merlin sighed heavily into the awkward silence. Regan put the strap of her bag over her shoulder and looked up.

'You've got to admit,' she said, a smile growing on her face. 'He has got impeccable timing.' Merlin was startled into a laugh and they walked amicably back to Gaius' rooms, and the conversation, while not a constant flow, didn't stop long enough for it to be uncomfortable.

The rooms were empty; Gaius was off somewhere, and the uneasy silence descended again. Regan started to unpack her case, pottering around the room and humming to herself slightly. Merlin sighed, for what felt like the millionth time that day.

'Regan?' he said, walking up behind her.

'Mmm?' she said distractedly, trying to put a bottle on a top shelf, and not quite making it. He took it out of her hand and put it away. She whirled around, whipping him in the face with her hair.

'Oh, sorry,' she said, but she didn't manage to say anything else as Merlin had already leant down and pressed his lips to hers once more.

o0o

Winter was drawing in fast, autumn was almost over, and still nothing was heard from the two sorceresses. The trees had shed nearly all their leaves and left them as a soggy carpet on the floor of the wood, and Merlin was no longer sent out to pick various plants, which made a pleasant change.

The impending winter was also bringing much colder weather. The servant's workloads increased, as fires all around the castle had to be lit and almost constantly tended to, though that wasn't a horrible job. Sitting by a warm fire was certainly preferable to going out on early morning hunts with a certain prince. The best time was had by the kitchen servants, however. The kitchen was the warmest room in the entire castle, especially compared to the icy throne room, and treats were baked for Christmas in such quantities that sneaking a few was an easy matter.

Regan and Merlin often spent their free time sitting by the large fire in the kitchen with Gwen and the other servants. Merlin was often cleaning armour, Regan was usually reading and Gwen mending whatever Morgana had ripped the day before. Today, however, Gwen was with Morgana and Regan and Merlin found themselves shelling peas, as the cook had spotted them warming themselves by the fire and decided they might as well make themselves useful.

Regan was complaining about the cold, as usual. Wrapped up in her new warm woollen dress, that Gwen had lent her, and her cloak, she still felt chilled.

'It's wearing a dress,' she told Merlin, grumpily. 'It's so draughty. At least you can wear trousers.'

'Did you wear trousers… in the future?' Merlin dropped his voice slightly as he spoke, leaning closer. Regan nodded.

'Keep shelling those peas!' the cook shouted across the kitchen, making them both jump and immediately focus on the large pile of peas they had yet to shell. Regan giggled and struggled to keep a straight face when she caught Merlin's eye.

Once their laborious task was done, and they'd been shoved out of their warm haven, with a small shortbread biscuit shoved into their hands as payment, they wandered back to Gaius' rooms.

'If we turn on the small fires Gaius uses to heat things up…' Merlin said hopefully.

'We'll still freeze,' Regan said, bluntly. 'Can't you…'

'Gaius will have my head if he finds out I've used magic,' Merlin said, sorrowfully. 'And Uther. Otherwise I would have done already.'

'I don't know how I'm going to survive the night. I'll wake up an icicle!'

Unfortunately, Regan found that she was an icicle before she went to sleep that night. Usually she slept in her woollen dress and cloak, but both were being washed and even though she waited happily in the hot and steamy laundry room to collect them she hadn't reckoned on the time they would take to dry. Eventually she gave them up as a lost cause and left them in the kitchen with the rest of the drying clothes (it was the warmest place without steam), and had to face a night in her nightdress. It wasn't what you would call a skimpy number; none of the medieval clothes were, but somehow it looked much less substantial than it had in summer. And it made about as much difference as no clothes did.

Gritting her teeth, she climbed between her woollen sheets and tried to get comfortable, attempting to block the cold from her mind. But all she could think of was the comfort of central heating in her own time, the soft, warm sheets, and she had such a pang of homesickness that she suddenly found herself crying, for the first time since she arrived in Camelot.

A creaking told her Merlin had come into the little room, and she kept quiet, not wanting him to know she was crying. She watched the shadow of his figure through the dividing curtain as it moved into the room, stopped for a minute, then also clambered into his bed. She rolled onto her back, feeling the tears roll into her ears, uncomfortably hot on her freezing skin. Then she curled up tightly, trying to warm up her feet, which felt very far away and cold.

It didn't work. The longer she lay there, the colder she got, and soon she could no longer stop her teeth from chattering. A sigh came from the other side of the room.

'Regan?'

'W-what?' she chattered back.

'Are you cold?' Merlin asked, sounding half amused, half worried. She debated her answer.

'Errr…'

'I'll take that as a yes.' There was silence except from the sound of movement from the curtain. Regan lay there, waiting, slightly confused. Then she heard the curtain be drawn back and suddenly Merlin was next to her bed.

'Budge up,' he said, draping his three blankets over Regan's and climbing in. Regan was too cold to protest. After a bit of tossing and turning they got comfortable and, she had to admit, it was a lot warmer. Merlin was like a hot water bottle, but larger and with arms. She tried to keep her distance but his heat made her want to cuddle up as close as possible, so she snuggled closer and he wrapped his arms around her to get them out of the way.

'Ahh! Your feet are freezing!' Merlin yelped.

'Sorry,' Regan said, sheepishly, but she was already getting sleepy. Merlin dropped a kiss on her cold nose before closing his eyes and settling down to sleep. Now the cold was no longer keeping her awake, she was starting to feel tired. So she sank into a deep sleep. It was the first in a series of nights she found herself sharing a bed, and soon it became routine, ordinary. As the end of November approached, Regan felt like she'd been in Camelot forever. So, of course, everything was about to go horribly, awfully wrong.

o0o

AN: Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

'They're in the courtyard, they're in the courtyard!' screamed a hysterical voice as the handmaiden ran helter-skelter down the passage. The people she passed looked at her apprehensively, and a few muttered. One tall boy with dark hair turned his head towards her in confusion, and then realization spread across his face like ripples over a pond. They, the sorcerers (sorceresses?) had arrived. And Arthur would be facing them with the Knights of Camelot. And however well trained they were, Merlin knew they would never be able to hold out against powerful magic.

He dropped the armour he was carrying and sprinted to the courtyard, hoping that his magic was more powerful than the two put together. If it wasn't, they were all doomed.

'Merlin!' a voice screamed from the side as he ran out a side door, met with the sight of several red-cloaked figures in a semi-circle around Arthur , who was facing two women standing on the other side of the court. He saw Regan hurrying towards him but he had only one thought in his mind; get to Arthur. The Knights let him through and barred the way to Regan, who was looking terrified. As she struggled anxiously to get through Merlin slowed and halted next to the Prince.

'Merlin!' Arthur said, not looking too happy to see him. 'You don't even have a sword, you prat.' Merlin glanced down to his hand, as though expecting to see one appear.

'No, sorry,' he said lamely, before staring over at the two women. One was young, younger than Regan, and idly inspecting her nails. The other was smirking at Arthur from sword-silver eyes that seemed to glow. Merlin gulped.

'They haven't made a demand yet,' Arthur muttered. 'I think they're waiting for the King.'

'You haven't attacked yet?' Merlin asked, half-relived, half-confused.

'We tried,' he pulled a pained face, 'but they're surrounded by a sort of protective shield. If you go within three feet you get thrown backwards, rather painfully.'

'Don't tell me you just ran towards them?'

'No! I charged.' They would have continued bickering had the older sorceress not said in a loud, melodic voice,

'Ahh, Emrys. We were waiting for you.' Merlin stared at them, shocked. They were both watching him with almost… worship on their faces. The younger one was no longer boredly examining her nails, but gazing at him with a disturbing sort of hunger.

'Are they talking about you?' asked Arthur, disbelievingly. Merlin declined to answer, hoping they wouldn't expose his secret here, in front of everyone…

The two sorceresses seemed to be having a small argument.

'Just get him _out of the way_,' hissed the youngest. 'We can deal with him later.'

'But we could learn so much,' sighed the oldest, admiration and longing shining from her face. 'Please, Vel, I wouldn't be long…'

'We have no time,' 'Vel' replied shortly. 'Just get on with it.' The oldest sighed, and turned back to the now completely baffled set of Knights.

'I am Lyneve and this is my sister, Velindre,' she said pleasantly, for all the world as though she was a visiting noblewoman, not a powerful sorceress. 'Now, we can do this simply or painfully, so I advise you choose wisely.'

'Give us Arthur, your Crown Prince,' Velindre said in high, ringing tones, 'or we curse Camelot and everyone in it.'

There was silence for a while, as the new information threw everyone who had not already known the contents of the scroll. Merlin could see Arthur's lips silently moving as he mouthed, 'my father didn't say…'

'We are going to have to reject your offer,' King Uther called majestically from the balcony he had just walked on. He nodded to Arthur, who thrust his sword in the air.

'Attack!' he cried and the red cloaks advanced. The two women sighed.

'Oh, well,' said the oldest, and she held out her hands, speaking the ancient words for magic. Some knights drew back, afraid, but Merlin watched in horror as a bright white light flew from her hands… straight at _him._

He couldn't do magic, not in front of Uther and the Knights of Camelot. He could just watch as his death sped towards him. He saw Arthur watching with horror on his face, and he braced himself for the impact.

Something hard and with a lot of momentum charged into his right shoulder, sending him spinning to the ground. Unable to do anything except keep his balance, Merlin wasn't thinking as he was corkscrewed round, just in time to see his saviour hit by the white beam. Regan was blasted back against the far wall and slid to the ground, eyes closed. Everyone watched her path with stunned faces, but Merlin turned back towards Lyneve with fury in his face. She looked dispassionately at the fallen girl, muttering to her sister.

'Stupid thing. A creature of magic _may _have survived, but her…'

His eyes flashed a bright gold, and suddenly the whole courtyard was suspended, held in temporary warp as the spell he had unconsciously cast took effect. Only Lyneve and Velindre were left moving. There was quiet for a while as Merlin got up slowly, shaking with anger and glaring at the two beautiful women in front of him.

'This is a beautiful work of magic,' Lyneve said, walking over to Arthur and waving a hand over his frozen face.

'Neve!' Velindre called sharply. Her sister turned back to Merlin.

'Someone you're close to?' she asked, jerking her head towards Regan, her long, ebony hair swaying slightly. Merlin gritted his teeth and swallowed, still feeling that angry coursing through his body, anxious to be converted to magic and pure energy…

'Why do you want Arthur?' he managed to ask.

'His destiny,' Lyneve said simply. 'If we kill him, the future will change drastically. The amount of energy to be gained from that paradox would be enormous.'

'There's a ceremony to perform that amplifies this energy, converts it into magic,' Velindre told him, sidling closer. 'If we take this in, together, we will be almost,' she paused right in front of him and reached up to stroke one finger down his cheek, 'as powerful as you.' Merlin recoiled slightly from the young girl's touch. Her finger was soft and cold, and his cheek tingled from the magic she contained in her fingertips.

'So, can you please let us out of this time stop so we can get on with it?' Lyneve asked charmingly. 'We won't hurt anyone else.'

'I can't,' he said stiffly, and then he let out all his rage and fury on them, a huge rolling ball of fire that roared to greet the women. They drew a wind to create a shield and barely stopped it, but Merlin, struggling with the weight of the fire and trying to push it against their shield, tripped and fell on an uneven cobblestone and the fire dissipated, leaving nothing but a smell of smoke. Lyneve laughed.

'Whoops,' she said, and grabbed the frozen Arthur's arm, before placing her palm against her sister's and disappearing in the resulting tornado. The time stop unravelled, and everyone shook off their strange sudden lethargy and looked around sleepily, but Merlin knew it was too late.

Regan was probably dead, and Arthur would be soon. He had failed his destiny.

'Arthur!' came the yell from the king, as he stared in disbelief at the place his son had been just moments before. The Knights milled around, unable to believe their crown prince had been snatched from right under their very noses. Merlin got to his feet, cursing his clumsiness furiously, and he ran towards the prone figure of Regan, lying crumpled against the stone wall. A small crowd had gathered around her, and Gaius was trying to push his way through. He and Merlin made it at the same time, and knelt down beside the comatose girl on the floor.

'Stupid girl,' Gaius murmured, feeling her pulse and sighing in relief. 'She's still alive, thank goodness. Help me take her back.' By help, Gaius meant Merlin carry her while he walked behind. Merlin hoisted her up and walked steadily back, his mind strangely blank after all the events. He recalled the last time he'd held Regan like this; back when he'd found her in the forest, poisoned by her own potion, bewildered and confused at finding herself in the past. Of course, he hadn't known that _then. _

Placing her gently on the wooden table he stepped back and allowed Gaius to fuss over her, his brain still somehow stuck, unable to comprehend anything that had happened. Then, something clicked; his head whirred, and movement began once more, just as Gaius spoke.

'She's… I don't believe it… she's waking up!' Merlin rushed over and watched as her eye's fluttered open. He looked down into the warm brown eyes as they smiled up at him.

'Thanks,' he whispered. 'For stopping the…' he halted suddenly, realizing what he was saying. He turned back to Regan.

'You knew what was going to happen! You did that deliberately!' he said, not sure how he felt. It would have been nice to feel she did it to save him because she, well, liked him, but now he knew it was because of the book. Regan shook her head slightly and opened her mouth to speak…

but stopped almost straight away, a small frown creasing between her eyes. She opened her mouth again, and mouthed a few words, but no sound came. Her eyes widened in alarm and she began to breathe fast.

'She's panicking,' Merlin shouted to Gaius who was standing nearby.

'Calm her down!' he said, hurrying over to get a vial of something. 'Don't let her work herself up!'

Merlin wasn't sure what to do; he floundered for a few moments, watching helplessly at Regan struggled to breathe.

'Calm down,' he muttered, stroking her sweaty forehead and looking around wildly for Gaius. 'Come on, Regan, relax…' She panted, struggling and gasping like a fish out of water. He put both hands either side of her face, not really sure what to do. 'Shhh,' he said gently, and gradually her breathing began to slow. Merlin sighed in relief and Gaius rushed over with a vial of clear liquid.

'Raise her up,' he instructed Merlin, and he held Regan upright as Gaius gently placed the vial to her lips. She drank and smiled gratefully, but still could not speak a word. She could form the words with her mouth, and Merlin could see she was trying desperately hard to make a noise, but none came. The tears arrived soon after, however, and had no trouble flowing down her cheeks and onto Merlin's shoulder.

'Don't worry,' he said, holding her close as her body racked with silent sobs, 'I'll find a way to get your voice back. I promise.' When the flow ceased, Regan began trying to make Merlin understand what she was trying to tell him. She gestured and mimicked furiously, but he had never been very good at that sort of thing. Eventually Gaius ended their suffering by bringing her some paper and a quill. After a while, ink stained all over her fingers and some wiped over her face, she handed Merlin a sheet of hastily scrawled words.

_Did they take Arthur?_

_How did I survive the curse? __It was the pearl that saved me, I think. What happened after I __stopped the __saved your __got hit? Did they hurt you to get away? Now the timeline's completely changed. In the book I read you'd been hit by the curse and was dying while Arthur was about to be killed in the ceremony, so now you can go and save him! I don't know where they are, but it was in a place with lots of ruins, surrounded by water. There are bits I remember more clearly than others; I know that the ceremony they need to kill Arthur will have to be at full moon, so we've got some time until Arthur __dies __ needs us. What happened to my voice? Can it be cured?_

Merlin handed the paper to Gaius and turned to Regan, who was sitting up on the bed, a cup of water in her hand and an expectant expression on her face.

'Well, they took him. Arthur. I didn't manage to stop them.' Angry tears threatened to escape his eyes as he looked down on the floor. 'I am such an idiot!' he yelled, thumping his fist into the table. Regan watched impassively until he calmed down and turned to her once more.

'After you… got hit, I stopped time, I think,' he explained, thinking back. 'They told me what they wanted Arthur for- they want the power the paradox of his death and incomplete destiny will bring.' Regan nodded; she knew all this from the book. 'When I tried to stop them I tripped and they escaped.' Merlin looked down, angry and annoyed and frustrated at himself. 'My spell stopped and everyone woke up again, but Arthur was already gone. Then we carried you back here and you woke up.'

'The pearl was what saved you,' Gaius chipped in. 'That spell should have killed you on impact, as you are not a creature of magic. It would have meant a slow death for Merlin. But the protective spell in your necklace is very powerful indeed.' Here Gaius looked at Merlin with something unspoken in his eyes. 'It saved you by absorbing the magic, but your neck, being the place where it did, received some side effects. This is why you cannot talk.' Regan nodded, putting one hand up to the necklace resting between in the hollow at the base of her neck.

'It's a good thing the chain wasn't longer,' Gaius remarked, tilting Regan's head back and inspecting her throat and her mouth, 'or your heart or lungs may have stopped working, and then you _would _have died. At least this way you are still alive.' Regan, once freed from his surprisingly strong grip, nodded, but didn't look happy.

'If I kill the sorcerer, will the spell end?' Merlin asked, worriedly.

'Probably not,' Gaius said, gravely. 'It's meant to kill, so it's not an ongoing spell. But… I don't know. I could be wrong,' he said, on seeing Regan's face fall. Merlin knew how much she liked singing, even though she wasn't particularly good at it. He would miss hearing her belting out while mixing various tinctures. It had become a part of normal routine to hear the happy, untuneful sound as he came back to Gaius's chambers for lunch. He remembered the first time he'd walked in on her singing, and the look of absolute mortification on her face.

'Well, we need to find out about this Ceremony,' Gaius said. 'The place you described sounds like the Isle of the Blessed. Luckily we have a Priest of the old religion among us!' he turned to Merlin, who sighed.

'I'm not a priest. I balanced out the life debt _once_,' he said.

'You have power over life and death!' Gaius argued. Regan got up and held out her hand to stop them, before slamming a heavy, dusty book into Merlin's chest. She gave him a look before settling down with a huge tome of her own.

'I think that means get researching,' Gaius said with a smile. 'You've got until next Tuesday to find out about it and get to the Isle; that's when it's full moon.'

'Great,' Merlin said, struggling to lift the huge book. He slammed it down on a nearby table, the resulting dust cloud hiding Regan from view and making her cough. 'Sorry.'

She smiled at him, indicating he was forgiven, and flung open her book with a loud thwack, emitting more dust which flew into Merlin's eyes, mouth and nose. When it cleared he saw her grinning mischievously at him

'I guess I deserved that,' he said wryly. She laughed silently, her mouth opening but no sound coming out. She stopped, glumness crossing her face once more. Merlin wanted to cheer her up, to make her feel better, but he didn't know how. Bending his head over the ancient tome in front of him he began to research.

They found nothing that day. They had searched feverishly; book after book was tossed aside with frustration, but they found nothing about a ceremony like the one Lyneve and Velindre were planning. By the time night fell Regan's eyes were puffy and sore, and Merlin was begging Gaius to use his magic. But Gaius was expecting a visit from the king and therefore forbade him to do even the slightest hint of a spell. Regan eventually retired, rubbing her eyes and stumbling up the stairs to the adjoining room.

'The king never turned up,' Merlin said reproachfully to Gaius as he closed his seventh book. 'I could have used magic.'

'Better safe than sorry,' Gaius replied as he began to pick up the finished tomes and start putting them back on the shelves. There was silence for a while, punctuated only by the shuffling of pages from Merlin's corner of the room.

'Is there any chance of Regan's voice coming back?' Merlin asked softly. Gaius shook his head without turning round.

'Very little. Although, we should be happy enough with her being alive and almost well. That spell should have killed her.'

'But it didn't,' Merlin said, thankfully.

'No. And that's something I've been meaning to talk to you about.' Gaius drew up a chair to Merlin's table. 'You must have used powerful magic on that necklace to stop a curse like that.' Merlin looked surprised.

'Hmm?' Merlin asked, distractedly. 'No; not really. Just a simple spell I found in that book of magic you gave me.'

'A simple spell would not have stopped that curse, Merlin,' Gaius said, sternly. 'You must have used something else as well, unless…'

'What?'

'You must have strong feelings for that girl, Merlin. That's the only plausible explanation.'

********

Regan was finding it hard to cope. When you can't speak, she mused to herself, you suddenly realize just how much you have to say.

'You need a shoe?' asked Merlin, as she tried to mime hurting her foot. He had been limping for the whole day and she was determined to find out why. She looked at him sternly and put her hands on her hips.

'Sorry,' he said sheepishly, ducking his head. She pushed him down onto a chair and yanked of his boot, making him wince.

'Oh, that. I think I may have trod on something…' Regan carefully inspected the bloody mass that was his heel. Something was imbedded in it, which looked suspiciously like a very large, very painful splinter. She pulled it out in one swift movement, and Merlin hissed in pain and doubled over. She bound up his foot and gave him a drink to help numb the pain. Merlin threw it back quickly, grimacing at the awful taste, and then looked very excited.

'Wait here,' he said, as he dashed off to his… _their_ room. _Like I'm going to go anywhere, _she thought, but no amount of will power could make it heard. Merlin came bounding back with his spell book. Flicking through the pages anxiously, he soon found what he was looking for and placed the book open on the table that stood between them. Lifting one hand up to point at her, he looked down at the book again and said something in the old language. As he looked up at her, his eyes flashed gold and Regan was jerked bodily back, as though something had run into her. Merlin ran over, looking nervous.

'Are you okay?' he asked, catching her shoulders and supporting her.

_What the hell was that? _Was her one coherent thought.

'Sorry,' he said apologetically. 'I probably should have warned you first, but…' then they both froze.

_Did Merlin just answer my question? _Regan thought.

'Yes,' he said, and grinned. 'That's what the spell did, or what I hoped it would do. I can hear your thoughts.'

_All of them? _She thought, worriedly.

_Only those you want me to hear, _came the reply, but Merlin's lips didn't move. He looked as surprised as her.

'I guess it works both ways,' he mused. Regan was almost deliriously happy.

_How can I ever thank you… _she said joyfully.

_Well, there is one way, _he said, and she caught the direction of his thoughts. She doubted he'd meant her to hear them, but she complied anyway, and pulled him down so she could reach his lips. They were still entwined when Gaius walked in. He didn't notice the two until he was already all the way in, and by then it was too late to back out without being seen.

'What is it with people walking in on us?' Merlin groaned frustrated, on seeing Gaius and reluctantly pulling away from Regan.

'There are less public places, you know,' said Gaius, but he was smiling. Merlin told him about the spell, and he frowned.

'You must be very careful to keep this secret,' he warned them.

'We'll be extremely careful,' Merlin said, glancing at Regan. She nodded, grinning. Gaius sighed.

'What did she say?' Gaius asked Merlin wearily. The boy fought hard to keep a straight face.

'Nothing,' he said, a laugh breaking out from his carefully blank features. Gaius sighed again and gave them each a huge book he'd found in the archives.

'Get into them,' he said, feeling no pleasure when he saw their gleeful faces fall. No, not a single smug thought.

-

A few hours later Merlin stood up, triumphant, his legs pushing the stool back and creating a harsh scraping noise on the cold stone floor.

'Here!' he said, beckoning Gaius and Regan over. He pointed to a detailed picture of an altar, surrounded by grass and old ruins. 'It's the Isle of the Blessed,' he explained to Regan, catching her questioning thought. 'Listen to this,' he said, indicating a short paragraph by the side of the beautifully drawn altar. He cleared his throat.

'The Isle of the Blessed is said to be one of the last places where the ancient religion still touches the earth. There are many myths and legends about the mysterious Isle, one of the most intriguing being the legend of the Oncoming storm. This tells the story of a weary traveller who stopped to rest on the isle, but left behind a gateway between worlds. If a person with a great destiny is killed there, sacrificed using a ceremony not used since the time when ancient magic still ruled over the land, a paradox will occur. As the person will no longer be able to complete their destiny the future will shift, and the gateway will release energy that can be transferred to a human body. This however is ill-advised; the last time this was attempted a civil war was caused and there was great strife throughout the land for hundreds of years after.' Merlin halted and raised his head.

'We not only have Arthur's life resting on our shoulders,' he said, gulping, 'but the whole of Albion's.' There was silence for a while, as they contemplated the passage.

'You must go to the Isle of the Blessed,' Gaius said, 'Immediately. Before there is even a chance of the ceremony happening.' Merlin nodded.

'I…' he winced as Regan sent a glare at him, accompanied with a rather loud mental screech which rang in his head, '_**we**_ will leave tomorrow morning.' Gaius nodded, satisfied.

'I wish you good luck, and I advise you to get a good night's sleep,' he said, pushing them off towards the door in the corner. Merlin disappeared, but Regan stayed behind. She mimed having a sore stomach, and Gaius made her a potion to drink. She necked it down rapidly, the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach melting away. She felt much more tired than she had been before, and barely made it to her bed before her eyelids closed.

-

She woke up slowly, feeling heavy-lidded and drowsy. Her brain was foggy, and for a moment she couldn't remember the events of the last few days. Then it all came rushing back. Jumping out of bed and staggering slightly from the head rush, she burst through the curtain to Merlin's side of the room, only to find it empty.

_Of course he's up, _she chided herself. _The sun's already coming in through the windows._

She hurriedly dressed and ran full pelt into the main room, only to find it empty. Se stared around, disbelief and betrayal clouding her mind, and then her head snapped around when the door opened. Gaius walked in.

_Where's Merlin? _She thought angrily. _He's gone, isn't he? You put me to sleep with that pain tonic and he left without me! _Gaius, of course, heard none of this, but gathered the gist of her thoughts by the murderous look on her face.

'Yes, I drugged you. Merlin had already planned to leave earlier anyway, and made sure you could not follow. I'm sorry,' he said, stepping forwards, a placating look on his face. 'But we thought it best. You were very lucky last time, and we don't want to lose you.'

She felt so angry; she barely listened to the old man before her. She ran past him to the door, and stepped outside… only to suddenly feel very sleepy, and to collapse on the floor. Before she sank into unconsciousness again she screamed in her head.

_Merlin!_

Far away a young man on a horse winced slightly as the voice reverberated through his head, but continued on his way. Towards the Isle of the Blessed. Towards Arthur. Towards his destiny.

AN: Bit of a cliff-hanger for you there. Tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Bloody idiot, _Regan thought savagely as she heated some herbs for poultice. Merlin's spell made it impossible for her to leave Gaius' chambers, and she was already bored to tears with the room. Gwen had come earlier but had only been able to stay for a little while, so she had been returned to the deathly boring monotony of grounding rosemary.

Once all her tasks were finished she sat on Merlin's bed and fired one arrow after another at the closed wooden door, each hitting relatively near the small knot in the wood she was aiming for. She liked the bow and arrow; she could release some of her frustrations and it calmed her slightly to hear the twang and thunk of each arrow.

_Stupid… bloody… prattish… idiotic… _Each insult was punctuated by an arrow embedding itself into the door. As time passed and her aim grew steadily worse as her arm tired, she set her bow down and left the room, still feeling the betrayal and annoyance, but also these feelings were mixed with worry. What if Merlin didn't come back?

She spent the rest of the day trying to contact Merlin with her mind, as Gaius came back and set her yet more tasks, as he was anxious to keep the furniture safe from her anger.

But as she walked across the room carrying boiling hot water to dissolve some ingredients in, she suddenly had a flash of another place over her eyes. A place where ruins were crumbling down around her, and a pale, sleeping Arthur lay propped up on a stone altar. She dropped the bowl, silently crying out as the hot water burnt her hands and legs as it fell, but she was so engrossed in the scene she could suddenly see instead of Gaius' rooms and workbench she barely noticed the pain. She was watching events from Merlin's view, as though she could suddenly see through his eyes. She focussed on the image and when gradually sound came it felt like she had been transported there, except her body was no longer her own.

_Merlin saw Arthur lying as though dead and rushed over. Regan could feel the panic flowing through his mind like water, but it calmed as he realized he was alive, and simply sleeping._

'_Thank goodness,' he sighed, and was about to say the magic words to lift Arthur to his horse when a velvety voice spoke behind him._

'_You didn't think it would be that easy, did you Emrys?'_

_Merlin whirled around. Lyneve stood behind him, a breeze blowing her long ebony hair sideways, like a black flag. She walked slowly towards him, her deep blue dress and velvet cloak whipping out to one side as well. Regan felt Merlin's hair being tousled by the same wind, his neckerchief blowing over his shoulder._

'_I've come for Arthur, Lyneve.' Merlin said, his voice strong. 'It is not his destiny to be killed by you.'_

_Lyneve smiled, her beautiful face creating the illusion of innocence and goodness._

'_Destiny? Hah. Destiny didn't stop our parent's deaths. There is no such thing as destiny, only prophesy. If prophesy is broken, then energy is released. It is science, pure and simple.'_

_Regan could feel Merlin's head racing._

'_Where's your sister?' he asked, trying to figure out his first move._

'_She is… indisposed,' Lyneve's smile grew larger and more angelic. 'My sister believes that we are working together. She is still so young and so… gullible. She will receive some of the energy, but I am the oldest and I will be the most powerful.' Lyneve's eyes flashed. 'She has overpowered me once too often.'_

'_It's never good to go back on someone on your side,' Merlin advised, still trying to work out what he was going to do._

'_I'm not going back on anyone,' Lyneve snarled. 'Just… not quite telling her the truth.'_

'_I can't let you kill Arthur,' Merlin said. 'It's my destiny as well.'_

'_Arthur will never appreciate all you've done,' Lyneve said, her voice velvety as her cloak._

'_Why does everyone keep telling me that?' Merlin said, frustrated. 'He's my friend; one day Uther's reign will end and the era of magic will be back. I am patient enough to wait.'_

'_Patience is overrated,' Lyneve said lazily, 'and this is dragging on.' She flicked her hand, and a fireball was sent spinning towards him. _

_DUCK! Regan screamed in his head, but he put out a hand and the fire stopped, shooting instead back to its caster. Lyneve threw herself to one side and it crashed into a stone wall, leaving a scorch mark as large as a person._

'_I've already been through this with a much more powerful sorcerer,' Merlin said, in bored tones. ._

'_But then Arthur was not here to witness it,' Lyneve said, grinning, as she flicked her hand at the sleeping prince. He awoke with a start, just as Lyneve resumed her attack. Unable to perform magic in front of the prince, Merlin ducked instead, grimacing at Lyneve's cackles._

Use magic!_ Regan ordered him in his head. _Arthur will understand.

It's not time, _Merlin said as he ducked and dodged the barrage. Arthur was watching in horror, but seemed unable to move. _

'_Merlin!' he yelled as he struggled against invisible binds. Lyneve halted her attack and laughed delightedly, as Merlin collapsed on the floor panting._

'_Since I'm short of time, Emrys, I'll put us on a time limit,' she said, drawing an hourglass from the folds of her cloak. She whispered a few words and walked over to the altar, where Arthur was still fighting against his restraints. 'When the sands run out,' she said, gesturing to the glass, 'your heart will stop. You have until it empties.'_

_And with that, she turned the hourglass over and the sand began to fall._

_Regan screamed in horror and outrage in synch with Arthur. Merlin got slowly to his feet and stared at the sand rushing to the bottom of the glass, wondering what to do._

Stop it with magic! _Regan screamed inside his head. _Heaven help me, Merlin, if you die today I will bring you back to life and kill you again!

_But he ignored the voice in his head. Slowly, determinedly, he walked over to Arthur and picked up his sword._

'_Merlin…' the prince said, wretchedly, but his manservant ignored him. He walked up to Lyneve._

'_If I die, you're coming with me,' he said quietly._

'_Oh yes?' she said, raising one perfect eyebrow. Taunting him._

'_I can cast magic without speech, Lyneve,' he whispered so Arthur could not hear. 'I am a creature of the old religion and you cannot defeat me. When you die your enchantments will stop and Arthur will be free.'_

'_You can't kill me with a sword,' she said scathingly, 'when you're dead.' And her words were true; the hourglass was nearly done. Merlin knew what spell he needed; his eyes flashed and the sword glowed for a second, before dimming and becoming normal once more._

'_That's it?' Lyneve said, and then she began to laugh._

'_The hourglass!' Arthur yelled, and Merlin turned; it was ending, the last grains of sand were falling._

Regan, _he said, _I…_ as she sobbed into his head. The last grain fell._

Merlin closed his eyes, but nothing happened. He opened them, as Lyneve's laughter stopped abruptly.

'Merlin?' came Arthur's voice, confused. Lyneve was shaking her head.

'You should be dead!' she screeched, and then the sword he had enchanted flew forwards, directly into her heart. She screamed as she fell, her life's blood leaving her to sink into the grassy floor. It began to rain.

Arthur found he was unrestrained. He got up unsteadily.

'She must have cast the magic wrong,' he said, cautiously. His manservant nodded, still staring down at the sorceress.

'Yes,' was all he said. Arthur wandered over to the hourglass, and picked it up carefully, as though it would break.

'We should take it back to Gaius,' Merlin said, without turning around.

'That's what I was thinking,' Arthur said, bringing it over. 'Let's go, then.'

On the long journey home, which was rather awkward as they had to _share _the horse, Merlin wondered about the hourglass. He thought about the voice he'd had in his head, Regan's, who had been with him when he needed it most, who he'd almost told he… loved. Almost. Had she regained her voice, now Lyneve was dead? And what about Velindre?

Pondering these loose ends kept him occupied all the way back to Camelot, where they rode through the city in triumph. Arthur was back.

As the Crown Prince went to tell the King the news of his arrival, Merlin returned to Gaius' chambers. Arthur had said very little on the journey back; Merlin suspected he was slightly embarrassed about being saved by his hopeless manservant. He didn't care. All that mattered was that Arthur still had no idea about his magic, and the only thing he had to worry about now was the wrath of Regan. He took a deep breath before entering Gaius' chambers, and he was ready for anything she might attack him with. But nothing would have prepared him for what he saw inside.

'Merlin,' Gaius said, looking up at him from where he sat by the bed. 'You're back.'

'What…' was all he could get out, frozen in horror at the sight.

Quiet and peaceful, the girl on the bed looked as though she was sleeping. Her hair was beautifully brushed and arranged, and she wore a beautiful silk dress, also artistically draped across the bed, which was covered in a clean white sheet. A lily lay clasped between her hands, beautiful and fresh. Small flowers were woven into her hair and scattered about, giving the air an intoxicating scent.

But the girl was not asleep. Her cheeks were pale, with no blush of life, and her chest no longer rose and fell. Merlin stared at Regan laid out before him. Dead.

'I'm so sorry Merlin,' said Gaius, sadly, as he got up slowly from the chair he had been in.

'W-when did this happen?' he asked, his voice thick.

'While you were away. She just… fell. Her heart stopped.'

Merlin recalled Lyneve's words.

'_When the sands run out, your heart will stop.'_

He had not died, because he had left his heart with Regan. He walked slowly over to the chair Gaius had vacated, and sank onto it, reaching out to stroke her pale cheek. A single, solitary tear escaped and fell onto her arm, where it stayed. Merlin remembered when he had turned her tear into a pearl, and he saw the necklace around her neck.

'No,' he whispered, his own heart breaking and shattering into a million pieces. He remembered the voice in his head, Regan's voice, and that it had stopped when the last grain fell.

'No,' he said, louder, and he jumped up, rushing to get the hourglass. As he ran back he misjudged the corner and slammed into a wall, scaring the life out of a passing woman. He carried on, and when he reached Gaius' rooms he dug out his magic book from under the floorboards.

'There must be _something,_' he muttered, flicking through it. But there was nothing. He ran down to visit the great dragon, but he was no help.

'Her question was answered,' was all he would say, before flying up and away where Merlin could no longer speak to him. He returned, but he still did not give up. He searched the book again and again, until his head rang with words and magic and his eyes could no longer see the page. The parchment of the book soon became drenched with tears and he sank back down.

Arthur came in at some point; he was very sorry, he told Merlin, and asked him when he would be coming back to work. Merlin ignored him, and Gaius had shooed the Prince out.

The last day of the wake passed with nothing. Merlin still could not accept her death, and continued to sit by her body.

'You will wake up,' he said softly, taking one of her cold hands. 'You _will'_

There was no answer, as usual. Merlin knew that soon the men would come to place her in a coffin and bury her, so he reached inside himself and drew on the power the dragon had given him to defeat Cornelius Sigan. With that knowledge, he closed his eyes and whispered the words. When he opened them, he found himself in a very different place.

'Merlin?' Regan asked, astounded. She was sitting on a bed with an embroidered duvet, surrounded by yellow walls and a lot of books.

'Regan!' he said, his mind racing. Without thinking about it, he ran over and swept her up, kissing her furiously in a way he had never expected to do again. She didn't resist, but looked at him quizzically when he finally let go.

'I've missed you so much,' he said, hugging her close, pressing her to him.

'How long have I been gone?" she asked, looking worried.

'You've been dead for three days,' he told her, and her mouth dropped open.

'Dead?' she asked, horrified. 'But I just came back to my own time…'

'When the sands ran out, your heart stopped,' he explained, 'not mine.' Her mouth opened in silent shock.

'I've been home for over a week,' she said, looking confused. 'I've missed you too. More than I expected. I miss all of it.'

'Come back,' Merlin said, pleading now. 'Come back to us.'

'I don't know if I can,' she said, biting her lip. 'I found out what I went for, and the book filled up,' she said, holding out the velvet bound book.

'I can bring you back,' said Merlin, and he knew he could. He could feel the magic singing in his blood.

'No time passed here,' she said, hopefully. 'Maybe I can spend some time here and some time there…'

'I don't think I can take you back,' Merlin said, solemnly. She sighed.

'I'll never see my family again,' she said, looking towards her closed doors and the sounds her parents and sisters getting ready to go out. If she left with Merlin, she would never see them grow up, never see their children. Her friends would think her dead, and her parents…

But then Regan looked at Merlin, his love shining brightly in his eyes, and she realized that without him she wouldn't have a life. She reached out and took his hand.

'Here we go,' she said, smiling through her tears. Merlin grinned back, the familiar cheeky smile, and she knew she'd made the right decision. Then, slowly, gently, the most powerful wizard ever to have lived led her back to Camelot. Back to her home. Back to him.

* * *

Epilogue…

_The rain fell in sheets, running off old stones and fallen buildings in rivers. The beautiful young girl walked slowly out from under the small shelter half a roof still provided, the water immediately soaking her silver dress and golden blonde hair. The water ran down her cheeks, mixing with the salt water that fell from her eyes as she walked towards the body lying on the grass._

_Lyneve's hair was straggling over the grass, her pale face upwards towards the dark skies. The blood had nearly all washed off, and the sword was gone, wrenched from her breast by the very prince who should have been killed._

_Velindre knelt by her sister's head and stroked one cheek. She was a little girl again, watching from behind her sister's skirts as her parents were dragged away, for simply being who they were._

_She was older, and her sister was explaining about their magic, about how to use it, why their parents had died…_

_Her sister was no longer around to keep her safe and sheltered. She was alone, abandoned in a world that was against her very being. Yet she did not cry._

_Cradling her sister's broken body in her arms, she looked up at the sky, the thunderous clouds and the lightening that stabbed from within them._

'_Emrys,' she whispered, her voice drowned by the patter of rain. 'You will pay for this. Camelot will fall.'_

_She looked down at her sister one last time, before she stood up slowly, and ended the storm with one wave of her hand. She left the Isle in the small boat, a column of smoke undulating in the sky behind her as her sister's body burnt upon the altar. She left her grieving on that Island; as the boat drew closer to the land a smile curved her beautiful red lips. Revenge would be sweet…_

**AN: The end of this story. I hope you enjoyed it, and please review to tell me! It doesn't take too long. I am in the process of writing a sequel, and if you want to read and review my other Merlin fic, Nothing Like the Sun, which a lot of people have said is better than this one, please do. **

**Meg**


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